Thanks for lending some clarity there, John. The Wartime history of Italy, especially around 1943 when they 'changed sides' is pretty complex and certainly not what this article is about...

The Cushman company were making scooters as early as 1936, and exporting them - I really don't know if that market included Italy back then... I think the Model 53 wasn't even produced until 1944? But certainly, post-war, they used that military link in the advertising...